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Response to traffic concerns March 15, 2018 hb,,, Ref 25905,00 Mr.ChuckMeek First HartfZ Realty 149 Colonial Road Manchester, CT 06042 Re: Response to Planning Board Concerns, Cumberland Farms, iRoutes 9 and 149,Town of Queensbury Dear Mr. Meek, During the Planning,Board me6ng on December 21, 2017,the board expressed several concerns regarding site traffic as well as,existing traffic on the surrounding roadway network., This letter serves to provide responses to the concerns expressed at the meeting. Comment 11: The US Route 9/NY Route 149 intmectlain,should be analyzed differently than the typical AM and iPM peak periods., Responsv, Cc nsistentwith standard traffic engineering practices and pro cedu res, the traffic evaluation for the proposed Cumberland Farms focused on the peak traffic operatl ng periods in the study area,,which correlate to typical commuter travel periods during the morning and typical commuW, a rkd retail/commercial travel periods during the afternoon. The peak morning and afternoon travel periods represent peak operations at the site and also coincide with peak travel on the adjacent roadway network. In the,study area, these typical periods primarily associated with commuter travel and,some retail/commercial travel are representative of peak travel patterns in the study area'for approximately 9 months of the year. In acknowledgment of the seasonal and recreational nature of thestudy area during the surnmer months,the traffic evaluation also rompleted a sensitivity'evaluation of the,traffic conditions during the summer months,therefore,.the traffic evaluation did go beyond the typical evaluation periods presented in a traffic evaluation,, A review of daily traffic volume data collected as part of the study In May 2017 confirms that typical weekday traffic volurres on NY Route 11419 peak during the morning period between 7:00 and SIDO AM and during the afternoon,peak period from 4,00 to 6:00 PM, which are the periods,of focus in the traffic evaluation, Traffic volumes,coll,"d in May 2DI 7 an US Route 9 illustrate that in general traffic volumes on this roadway are h ig her throughout the,day; however. the combination of the travel on U'S Route 9, during the morning and afternoon commuter and retaillcommercial peak travel periods along with the peak operational periods at the site still represent the peak conditions, The following chart shows the 100 firc,81 Oafs Boulevard SrLdW 118 Engineers I Selootists I Plienees I Designers Allmny,NQw York 12203 P 518 189.36,00 i'nri $ hu k' %leek � k f 259M'01.) atNwlw 8 h!b l jTr,! 2' typical daffy fluctuation of traffic along the project frontages with US Route 9 shown 1n green and NY Route 149 shown in purple. TVpical Waa kdaVTratficVolumes Sol" 's'[CI gni 5ro f i RKF° I MV„k: 1tia5 I r,ma'V'mrkm 'man V'Jr"M 7z vo 9.P!ISAP 7,4xlrlA IMIPIM'?fYs4 MA r:MPAI TO) PA 75"W"M :TIDPW AIA d0"o PKI lwk! XsyiUll 4 WN lo�')Ot'14 Traffic vcdume data from VHB cwmtm placed an us Ftt p and NY Rt 149 an Wednesday.May 2 2017 As noted, a sensitivity aluatio n was completed to determine the,potential impacts during the higher volumes summer months, Based on a review of the collected summer traffic vdu ernes,the PM peak hour traffic volumes on the adjacent roadway network were increased 118" and reevaluated- The following chart',shows that during the,surnmer mornthsa the weekday PM, peak hour traffic volume (shown in blue)is comparable to the Saturday peak hour traiffic volu me (shown in change) indicating that an arnal sls of the PM peak hour is an appropriate timeframe for eyaluation in this corridor'and will represent a worst-case condition for the sturdy area. 10I chork h,b Typical Surnmer Traffic Volun-ves on US Roule 91NY R6ule 1,49 I X"AM XXMM dY,r YJ It t t'""11 rO hr'^ Irtl f"I „1.17 L"0y L W PPI 17"13 1", M PT 4:91 FA�V:)PA P C17 F%- 7DJ,P'M!SYXFM 03 M M., v;UP IN AUJII""O Traffic voluaw data frorn NYSVOT counter placed on-NQS Itt 9 south of Rt TO in August 2D14 Comment 2: What Impact will the proposed site access driveways have an traffic VWben highways are at their worst? Response:Gas station/convenience market land uses in general are not destination sites and pull the majority of their patrons from traffic already on,the existing roadway network and therefore do not represent new,trips to the area. These types of trips are defined as pass by or diverted link trips. During typical morning and afternoon peak travel periods, the Institute of Transportation Engineers(ITE) documents that more than 60%of the users at gas statilan/convenience market sites are,pass by or diverted link trips. The other characteristic of gas statiorVconvenience market land uses is the aspect of: Mconvenience"'® During periods of congestion, In general, if access,to and from a convenience market is not"convenient a user is li kely to avoid the site or go to a d ifferentsite that has easier access based on the direction,of travel. This pattern is,known as a self-m1figating condition. During the su m mer months,the character of traffic in the study area generally)shifts from,a,commuter focus to a recreational focus,Whichis generally represented by casual travel that does not result in the same distinct peals associated with commuter travel patterns. It is noted that residents have indicated that during the peak summer season in the lake George area, many corn muters travel alternative routes to avoid the recreational t�iraffic. This"'less Peaked'travel at the Cumberland rarms site is also likely experienced all year on weekends when travel to and ffom the site is expected to be more spread out throughout the day and not experience peaks like that associated with commuter travel patterns. Indeed, Mci Child, Meek R 0 f� '?5 9 0'.'-, the site will experience times of the day where It is busier than other t�imos, but these recreational peaks are not expected to be as distinct as,those during the weekday. it is further expected that during recreational travel patterns the site YMI experience a Wigher level of pass-by or diverted link trips as patrons are in the area for recreation and are not as likely to be destination trips; thereby, not adding traffic to the adjacent roadway network. A review of ITE trip generation.data confirmed that a convenience mark gas station generates almost double the number of trips during the PM peak hour when compared to a Saturday peak hour, The evaluation of the higher PM peak hour traffic volumes(18%increase)during the summer mcni along With the typical peak trip generation associated with the site is a conservative estimate of the conditions,anticipated during the high season in the summer months,. As noted, during the summer season, recreational trips are likely to,experience less distinct,peaks and the pass by trip, percentages are a nticipated to be higher than the 65%during the PM peak hour, therefore,the sensitivity analysis presented provides a conservative estimate of peak hour trips during the summer season. It is acknowledged in the traffic evaluation that during the summer months there are times when traffic on US Route 9 and NY Route 149 in the study area is congested with long vehicle queues and slow-moving: traffic, During these times, vehicles entering and exiting driveways in the corridor oft, in rely upon courtesy gaps to make their turn into,or out of a site. This sairne travel behavior is anticipated at the site due!ng these travel tissues; however,the following is noted: • Unlike most other businesses in the area, the Cumberland Farms site is located on a corner giving drivers a choice when accessing the site and maximizing the use of right-turn, maneuvers,for many,movements. • As compared to many other businesses,the majority of travel to and from a gas station/ convenience market are pass by or diverted Ii nk trips and are therefore already traveling on the roadway network, • The location of the site will not contribute to traffic from the US Route 9 corridor backing up onto the Interstate., �We to the character of the land use,, 4 there is heavy congestion on the roadway network the .convenience" aspect of the site will lose its attractiveness and patrons will choose not to utilize, ,the site during those tiii Comment 3: Comments we-re made indicating that the site should Illustrate"do no harm", meaning that the development of the site should result In the exact same conditions as exist today. The SEQRA process does not identify a "do no harm" policy, but instead outlines,the process,for idenfifying environmental impacts and mitigation to alleviate Impacts. The task of proving that any development project does not change traffic at all, is an impossible task as even the construction of one home generates trips. The traffic evaluation that was completed for the project clearly identifies the changes in,traffic to be anticipated during peak hour conditions of a,typical day as,well as during (peak, summer conditions with the re-development of the subject prci site,with a Cu mberla nd Farms., 'The study addresses traffic volumes,traffic operations, and vehicle queues in detail contluld]ng the folloi �'miGN g �e&tlC'°:� Yrnpdrso~: ��i� hb"akle 15 'vehicle queues along,the US Route 9 and N lY Route 149 frontages were evaluated and itwas determined that future conditions will be comparable to existing conditions,and the Cumberland Farms site will operate with minimal impacts from the adjacent signal,queues. The intersection capacity analysis shows that the(project will have minimal impacts on intersection operations at the existing MSS Route 9/NY Route 149 signalized intersection with no drops in level of service and minimal increases in the average vehicle dale of one second or lless. The proposed site driveways will operate at good!awls of service as uunsignalized intersections with single lanes entering and exiting the site. A sensitivity evaluation was completed to determine the impacts associated with the Cumberland Farms during higher volume summer months The results of the evaluation were consistent with the results of the analysis-during average volume conditions, it was fuaurther noted than during holidays and weekends during the summer months when,traffic on the adjacent roadway network experiences periods of congestion and slower moving traffic,the C urmberland Farms wwilll be impacted similar to what other businesses in the corridor experience. It is noted that the proposal already includes locating the two proposed site driveways anyway from the adjacent traffic signal to maximize the space and rninimize impacts to the traffic signal and associated vehicle queues. The traffic study further identifies the following mitigation to address traffic at the slte: To better facilitate left-turn movements into and out of the site within the transition area on U Route 9,it is,recommended that the applicant coordirnate,writh NYSD OT explore the feasibility of extending the souuthbouund left-turn lane and striping the center lane as a,two-way left-turn lane median at the site driveway before Iran ikiorning to the double northbound through lames. With this change,vehicles turning left into and out of the site would be able to utilize the two- way left-tuurn lane muedian for staging., This modification will also benefit vehicles tuuming in and out of the Lumberjack Pass Mliniature Golf and the single-family,home located across the street on US Route 9. To increase the sight distance looking left from the site drivewaray on Route 149 regrading and cutting back the slope at the adjacent pedestrian bridge is recommended. A retaining wall may be needed to stabilize the earthwork at the bridge. The following additional information was noted in regard to the Cumberland Farms and traffic:. 0 The proposed projeact is expected to generate 86 new vehicle trips during the AM, peak hour(43 entering and 43 exiting) and 95 new vehicle trips during,the P,M pear hour(48 entering and 47 exiting). A credit was not taken to account for the existing traffic at the site and surrounding roadway network from the existing restaurant providing for a conservative analysis of the proposed site.. a TheCumberland' Farms site is benefited by hawing access on two roadways which enables many patrons to enter and exit the site Oil Wng right-turn maneuvers, especial ly during peak travel period's, I =:k lul1::� Ru:"( 2M'KI 5 00 �e q=Vhb, If you have any questions on the above information. please call. sincerely, HB Engineering,Surveying and Landscape Architecture, P.C. Wendy ber ,er, PE, PTO A Panna _ Moran Dire b Transportation Senior Traffic Designer holsber+ger whb.co n arnoran@vhbxom